Have shampoo, will travel: Pet grooming salon makes house calls

News-Times, The (Danbury, CT)

Published
7:00 pm EST, Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Oquendo owns and operates Pawsitively Pretty, a mobile grooming salon that has catered to both canine and feline clients in the greater Danbury area since 2002. Her white van is equipped with all the accessories necessary to ensure beloved pets come out squeaky clean and smelling great.

From clipping claws to trimming fur, Oquendo's pet salon on wheels provides grooming to cats (who are rarely bathed in deference to their dislike of water) and to dogs of all sizes. She notes that she frequently grooms the largest of breeds, such as the English mastiff and the bull mastiff, which can weigh as much as 130 pounds.

Mollyrose, who belongs to John and Irene Aschen of Brookfield, gets shampooed, blow-dried and brushed every three months, and occasionally has some of her excess hair taken off. The Aschens have been utilizing Pawsitively Pretty's mobile grooming services regularly for the past three years.

"I thought it was really neat that she could come to your home," said Irene Aschen, who added that the mobile service is much less stressful than taking Molly to a pet care salon or to bathe the large dog in her home.

Oquendo says she grooms as many as eight pets every day in her van. It contains a 50-gallon water tank and a large tub in which she shampoos the dogs -- a bit like a power wash.

Oquendo uses high-quality, tear-free shampoos made by Bobbi Panter, and a spray-on hypo-allergenic leave-in conditioner is applied after the shampoo is rinsed out.

Dogs are securely fastened with a harness to the grooming table where Oquendo carefully dries and buffs their fur with two powerful dryers. When the grooming session is completed, every pet is rewarded with a special treat.

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Pawsitively Pretty Mobile Grooming Salon charges a flat rate of $75 an hour. For more information about its services and products, visit www.pawsitivelypretty.com or call (203) 746-9569.